Your Soup Is Your Medicine: A Nourishing Chicken Soup Inspired by Traditional Chinese Medicine

Every Soup Is a Medicinal Infusion

Here is something I love to share: every soup is a natural medicinal infusion.

When we place vegetables, herbs, roots and bones into water and let them simmer, we are doing a water infusion extraction, the same principle herbalists have used for centuries. Heat and time gently draw minerals, flavor and goodness out of each ingredient and into the broth.

Yes! Every day, in your own kitchen, you can make your own medicine. How fun is that?

That is why I'm asking you one thing today: please don't open a can. A canned soup has been cooked, sealed and stored long before it reaches you. The soup you make yourself is alive with fresh ingredients, and with your own care.

My Nourishing Chicken Soup

This is the classic chicken soup, made the way I want you to make it: slowly, from scratch, with a few warming ingredients inspired by Traditional Chinese Medicine.

Serves: 6
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 1½ to 2 hours

Ingredients

• 1 whole chicken (about 3–4 lb), or 2½ lb bone-in chicken thighs and drumsticks
• 12 cups cold filtered water
• 1 large onion, quartered
• 4 garlic cloves, lightly crushed
• 1 thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger, sliced
• 3 carrots, cut into chunks
• 3 celery stalks, cut into chunks
• 2 medium potatoes or 1 small sweet potato, cubed
• 1 zucchini, sliced
• 6 dried shiitake mushrooms (soaked 20 minutes, soaking water saved)
• 6 dried red dates (jujubes)
• 1 small handful of goji berries
• 2 scallions, sliced
• 1 small bunch of cilantro or parsley
• 1 bay leaf
• Sea salt and black pepper to taste
• Juice of ½ lime (optional, to serve)

Instructions

1. Start with cold water. Place the chicken in a large pot and cover with the cold water. Starting cold lets the broth extract slowly and stay clear.
2. Bring to a gentle boil. As it heats, skim off the foam that rises to the surface.
3. Add the aromatics. Add the onion, garlic, ginger, bay leaf, red dates and the soaked shiitake with their strained soaking water.
4. Simmer low and slow. Reduce heat, cover partially and simmer gently for about 1 hour. This is your infusion at work, so don't rush it.
5. Remove and shred the chicken. Lift out the chicken, let it cool slightly, pull the meat from the bones and return the meat to the pot.
6. Add the vegetables. Add the carrots, celery and potatoes. Simmer 20 minutes. Add the zucchini and goji berries for the last 10 minutes.
7. Finish with freshness. Turn off the heat, stir in the scallions and herbs, and season with salt and pepper. A squeeze of lime brightens every bowl.

Tip: Save the bones and freeze them. Next time, simmer them again with a few vegetables for an even deeper broth.

Eat It, Drink It, Smell It

Enjoy this soup slowly. Breathe in the steam before your first spoonful. Sip the broth on its own as a warm drink in the afternoon. Notice how your body feels after a bowl of something real.

Learn What Each Ingredient Does for You

Every ingredient in this soup was chosen with purpose, from warming ginger to the sweet red dates and bright goji berries. If you'd like to learn about the nutritional value of each one, visit my website at www.ocean-root.com, where I share more about nutrition, herbal remedies and age-old kitchen wisdom.

Once you know what's in your bowl, you'll want to eat it every day.

This article shares traditional food wisdom and is not a substitute for medical advice. If you're managing a health condition or taking medication, please keep working with your healthcare provider.